


Lemon Boy

by Anjae



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Angst, Bullying, Fanfic, Fic, Fluff, Haikyu - Freeform, Haikyuu - Freeform, Home, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Music based fic, Mutual Pining, Pining, Songfic, Sweet, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Yamaguchi is Bullied, hence the AU tag, lemon boy - Freeform, lol i dont know how to tag, more tags to be added later, playground, protective tsukki, slowburn, sort of a school au, struggles, they both have problems, this doesnt actually have volleyball in it, tsukki is a tiny bit soft, tsukki lives alone, tsukkiyama - Freeform, yamaguchi has an over protective brother, yamaguchi's brother is bad at being protective, yamatsukki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29251851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anjae/pseuds/Anjae
Summary: [Alternate Title: Playground]Tsukishima lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment. He's not even sure if it's legal to own an apartment at his age, actually. But it's not like he has anywhere else to go, even though wouldn't exactly call the apartment a "home."He hasn't ever really had one of those.That is until Yamaguchi comes along and is very persistent on becoming a part of Tsukishima's life after Tsukishima helps him with a bully problem.Tsukishima quickly learns that a home is not always a place- it can be a person, too.A person that is sometimes in need of protection, and that Tsukki will most definitely not fail to protect, whatever the cost.[Slow updates as I am currently prioritizing school]
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on the song "Lemon Boy" by Cavetown. It's based mostly around Tsukki but will have Yamaguchi's perspectives as well.

When someone is born, it's usually because their parents chose for them to be brought to life. However, on rare occasions, when one does not live up to their parents' expectations, they are removed from the family and cast out into the world, alone.

They don't have anyone or anything to call home anymore. So they have to work their way up the food chain by begging like a pitiful bastard. Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes, it doesn't. And sometimes, one might find themself balancing on a thin rope stretching between two distant canyons. This rope represents their pitiful life, and the canyons represent safety and stability. Sometimes, the people who must balance on the rope make it to the other side. But some of them accidentally trip and plunge into the deep, dark abyss waiting for them below the rope.

The abyss is endless, really. If you don't try to grasp the sides of the canyons or hold onto a loose branch growing from the rock, you'll fall forever.

Until someone decides to throw you a rope and pull you up to safety.

But even that depends on whether you're willing to grab the rope or not.


	2. Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima decides to leave his stuffy apartment in favor of an old, overgrown playground.

Tsukishima sighed as he unlocked the small door to his even smaller apartment and stepped inside. It was dark, as per usual, but he didn't bother to flick on the lights. He needed to conserve electricity, and he had a few flashlights anyway.

Tsukishima set his bag down on the floor by the door and hung his keys on the coat rack. He stood in the doorway for a moment, staring out the window adjacent to it. A sliver of sunlight streamed in through the blinds and he could just make out the little dust particles floating around in the light. It was almost pretty.

Almost, but not quite.

Tsukishima reluctantly bent down and opened his bag. He pulled out his laptop and walked over to the small table under the window to set the items down. He took a seat in an uncomfortable wooden chair and opened the laptop, more dust swirling out from under the screen. It was getting old, just as the apartment was.

 _Everything_ here was getting old- either that or was a piece of shit already.

Tsukishima hated it.

He hated the creaky old floorboards and the dust that seemed to follow him everywhere, even outside of the apartment. He hated his school, and the piles of homework they assigned to him every day as if he didn't have enough on his plate already. He hated the sound of the birds chirping cheerfully outside the window. 

How could something be so cheerful in a world like this? It was dusty and cramped and smelled like mothballs.

Maybe that was just the apartment, but still.

Tsukishima muttered irritably to himself as he scrolled through the long list of incomplete assignments in his online classroom. Paper assignments would be better.

Anything would be better.

It was too quiet here. Tsukishima hated noise (besides music, of course), but it was _too quiet._

He needed to get out. He needed to go somewhere.

He knew just the place.

He stood up, slipped on his headphones, and pocketed his phone, heading out the door of the apartment.

\----

Tsukishima ran. 

He hadn't run in a very, very long time. Not since he'd stolen a tangerine from the local supermarket when he was twelve and been chased by the furious owner. He'd been beaten badly and had the fruit taken away, of course, but he let the disturbing memory catch the wind he created and temporarily float away from his mind. He didn't need to think about that right now.

He just needed to run. To clear his head.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tsukishima reached the park, out of breath and exhausted.

It was more of a playground, really. Tsukishima hated calling it that, though, so it was dubbed "the park," and that was final. 

It was old and empty, as always. Moss and grass covered the poles holding up the creaky old swings. Flowers sprouted up from the cracks in the broken see-saw, which now lay on its side in the softened wood chips. The main play structure had been reduced to a small, lopsided tower with a few metal bars laying around here and there. Tsukishima made his way over to one of the swings.

The place was a wreck, but in a way, it was nice. Nobody else was ever there, at least, so that was a bonus. And there, the birds seemed less annoying. 

It was a different kind of quiet. One Tsukishima liked.

Rusty chains creaked in protest at the added weight as Tsukishima sat down on one of the swings. He sighed and felt around for his phone in his pocket. Once he felt it, he brought it out and turned on a random playlist. 

He closed his eyes as a new song came on.

_There once was a bittersweet man, and they called him Lemon Boy..._

Tsukishima had the sound turned up so loud he didn't notice the soft footsteps approaching. 

_He was growing in my garden and I pulled him out by his hair, like a weed..._

He did notice, however, when a slim shadow fell across his face.

_And like weeds do, he only came and grew back again..._

Irritated brown eyes lifted to meet curious green ones. 

_So I figured this time I might as well let him be..._

It was at this moment that the breeze decided to pick up and ruffle both boys' hair, the grass waving softly around their feet. The sky seemed to brighten, and even the birds seemed to quiet, if only for a second.

It was almost ethereal.

How cliché.

The new green-haired boy smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck, breaking the silence with a small cough.

The birds resumed their chatter and the clouds moved back over the sun.

Tsukishima frowned. Who was this boy? And how had he found this place?

The boy opened his mouth as if to speak. Tsukishima debated ignoring him and keeping his music on, but for some reason, he decided against it and moved his headphones from the top of his head to his neck. 

The boy fiddled with his hands a bit before finally speaking. "Can I... can I sit there?" He gestured towards the other swing.

Tsukishima gave him a dismissive nod -why was he asking _him?_ This wasn't _his_ park- and pulled his headphones back over his ears. 

The previous song had passed, however, and it switched to a new one. 

Tsukishima subconsciously tuned it out as he watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. The boy sat down on the other swing and sighed. Tsukishima noticed marks on the boy's neck, but he didn't ask about them.

He came here to get away from everything, not strike up a pointless conversation.

He didn't even have to be here, in this fucked-up _playground._

But here he was, and although it wasn't perfect -it wasn't good, even, because nothing was good right now- it was better than the suffocating old apartment, even with the unwanted presence of the other boy beside him. 

But he wasn't that bad.

He didn't talk or make much noise (not that Tsukishima could hear him either way). He just sat and watched the birds flit around each other in the trees, constructing spring nests with small twigs and sticks, a certain fondness in his eyes. And his freckles...

Tsukishima abruptly stood up. 

He didn't like this weird tightening in his chest, and the odd heat on his neck and cheeks that soon followed it. 

He saw the boy turn to look at him inquisitively, but he moved away before he had to answer any questions, still unsure as to why his body was moving, why he was leaving.

But it was too late to turn back.

And so he left the park and the green-haired boy behind. 

But this time, instead of his thoughts being cleared, he had new things to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unsure of Yamaguchi's real eye color (I think they're brown?), but in this fic, they're green. :)
> 
> Feedback/criticism is appreciated so feel free to point out mistakes! Also, thank you, Jae, since I know you're reading this (she does not have an official Ao3 account), for forcing me to try to write a songfic by making me choose a song and then write about it. Without your annoyingly smart ideas, this fic would not exist. :P


	3. Mutual Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi also decides to leave his house in favor of an old, overgrown playground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's chapter 3, basically 2. I'm sorry if it's a little worse than the last one... I wrote it and then hated it but decided, 'fuck it, I haven't posted in too long anyway,' ...so here we are.
> 
> Enjoy! x

**TW: Mentions of bullying/abuse & homophobia**

Yamaguchi stood in his bathroom, hands tightly gripping the edges of the sink.

He stared at his reflection.

It stared right back, silent tears streaming down its face.

It was almost unrecognizable. How could _this_ be _him?_

What had he become?

"It's not your fault," He reminded himself shakily. But the words felt wrong. 

_Everything_ felt wrong.

Yamaguchi sighed and wiped the furious tears from his eyes.

He straightened and let go of the sink, brushing away more inevitable tears as they fell.

Why did he have to be so _weak?_

Yamaguchi shook his head.

He couldn't even muster up enough courage to ask for help, let alone stand up to _them._

They just kept coming back. Yamaguchi had learned to expect them at the beginning of school by the gate, and at the end behind the tree that towered over the sidewalk- a perfect ambush spot that the group often chose to exploit. 

Yamaguchi knew why they bullied him. He was weak, frail, and, worst of all, 'gay.'

Yamaguchi himself didn't even know if this was true, but they assumed that he was because they'd seen him staring at a strangely handsome boy in his class _one time_. 

But he had to let them hurt him because they threatened to 'out' him to the entire school (and his friends) if he didn't comply with their wishes.

Yamaguchi was so fed up with it all. He wanted it to stop, and he knew he needed to ask for help, but he _couldn't,_ because who would they belive? The group of popular kids with great reputations or the unremarkable 'gay' nobody?

He was stuck. 

Every day, he tried to formulate a plan that would get rid of the bullies without giving them the chance to tell everyone about his "little secret," as they often called it.

But today, like every day prior, was another cry-in-front-of-the-mirror-but-still-end-up-with-nothing day.

So he exited the bathroom in defeat, trying to hide the redness of his eyes and face by moving quickly to the front door of his family's house.

"I'm going out!" He called as cheerfully as he could muster.

He heard a grunt of acknowledgment from his dad, and his mom poked her head out from the kitchen doorway. "Stay safe!" She reminded him with a smile.

Yamaguchi smiled back, hoping it reached his eyes. 

It probably hadn't, but his mom just disappeared back into the kitchen, so Yamaguchi took this as his cue to leave, and he did so without hesitation. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets, humming along with the cheerful chirping of the birds. Yamaguchi loved spring.

Everything seemed happier- the flowers were brightly colored and cheerful, welcoming the excited swarms of nectar-consuming insects and then the birds that ate the insects.

Yamaguchi had, admittedly, always been fascinated by this cycle of life- especially the flowers, which was why he worked a part-time job at the local florist's.

Yet another reason for _them_ to come back. 

Yamaguchi shook his head, mentally scolding himself. _Don't think about them right now._

So he didn't, and he continued on towards his favorite place, purposefully stepping over the cracks in the sidewalk as a little game to occupy himself and also because miniature forests of weeds had chosen the cracks as rooting places, creating a beautiful, natural sight that he didn't want to destroy.

The place he was headed towards was an old playground that had yielded to the toll of time and had therefore sprouted many flowers and different types of plants from the old, rotten wood and rusted metal. it was beautiful, and nobody was ever there, which made it the perfect space to clear one's head.

Although Yamaguchi did get lonely, he had the birds and insects that occupied the shrubbery around the playground for company, and that was better than nothing.

\----

Finally, after about a thirty minute's walk (he'd taken the longer route), Yamaguchi arrived at the playground. He gently pushed the hanging branches blocking the almost invisible path aside and stepped onto the coarse dirt, pebbles flying out from under his shoes. He looked around fondly at the familiar scenery of the miniature forest surrounding the playground as he moved into a steady trot along the path.

Soon, he reached a fork in the path. He turned left, and there it was, in all its glory.

The tall grass hissed along with the wind as is swayed around the variety of wildflowers sprouting up from the cracks in the swingset. The free swing creaked in the breeze, and the one occupied by the blonde boy with the headphones-

Wait, hold on.

The what?

Yamaguchi blinked twice at the sight before him. There was a boy sitting on the swing in front of him, eyes too focused on his phone to notice Yamaguchi's presence. 

He stepped closer out of instinct, too curious to leave.

The breeze suddenly picked up speed as the boy's eyes lifted to meet Yamaguchi's own.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, wincing slightly as his hand came in contact with a more recent scar.

He coughed to ease the tension in the air and distract himself from the intensity of the blonde's eyes.

It was almost as if he were looking right through him as he dropped his headphones to his neck to hear what Yamaguchi had to say.

Unable to look at the boy's eyes any longer, Yamaguchi dropped his gaze to his hands, which he fiddled with, trying to actually think of something to say.

"Can I uh... can I sit there?" He asked finally, gesturing weakly towards the swing next to the boy. Maybe the boy was looking to be alone, but maybe this was Yamaguchi's chance to actually make a friend.

Maybe he could introduce himself as a new person, since the boy didn't know him for who he truly was.

The boy gave him a dismissive nod, which Yamaguchi assumed was a 'yes,' and returned his headphones to their original position.

So much for introductions, then.

Yamaguchi sat down on the swing with a heavy sigh. 

He turned his attention to the birds flitting around in the trees' canopies in favor of staring at the boy next to him, which was what he _wanted_ to do.

And so they sat in content -or what Yamaguchi _hoped_ was content- silence- until the boy abruptly stood up.

Yamaguchi cocked his head. Was that a blush? Were his cheeks red from the crisp breeze?

Or was Yamaguchi just imagining things?

Yamaguchi secretly hoped it was the former, for some reason, but his thoughts slipped away as he turned his attention back to the boy- or rather, his receding backside.

He was tall.

And his seemingly aloof nature was strangely alluring...

Okay, _no._

Yamaguchi shook his head and turned his attention back to the birds, hoping that the mysterious boy wouldn't turn around and notice the redness of his cheeks. 

He didn't, which was oddly disappointing. 

After a while, Yamaguchi stood up and went back down the pathway, trying hard to forget about the boy.

Unfortunately, his head was much less clear than when he'd first come to the playground, and that was not a possibility.

Oh, well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to point out any mistakes or give me suggestions as I AM basically writing this on the fly (I have a plot and basic chapter outlines down but constructive criticism is always nice). 
> 
> Also, you may have noticed the different styles of writing for Yamaguchi and Tsukki's perspectives. Tsukki's has a drier, more sarcastic tone to it, while Yams's is more detailed and sort of more appreciative of his surroundings.


End file.
